Attack of the Giant Leeches
A 1959 creature feature about giant mutated leeches.
**Attack of the Giant Leeches** (first released as *The Giant Leeches*) is a 1959 black-and-white science fiction-horror film made independently. Gene Corman produced it, Bernard L. Kowalski directed, and Leo Gordon wrote the screenplay. The cast includes Ken Clark, Yvette Vickers, Bruno VeSota, and Jan Shepard. American International Pictures put it out on October 1, 1959, paired with *A Bucket of Blood*. In the United Kingdom, it was released under the same title *Attack of the Giant Leeches* (sometimes *The Giant Leeches*). The movie is now in the public domain because its copyright was never renewed.
The story takes place in the Florida Everglades, where giant, intelligent leeches live in a deep swamp. After a fisherman dies violently near the water, game warden Steve Benton investigates, though local officials blame an alligator. Soon, two more people—Liz Walker and Cal Moulton—disappear while having an affair. Liz’s husband is wrongly accused and later kills himself in jail. Search parties find nothing, and two more men vanish. With help from his girlfriend Nan Grayson and her father Doc Grayson, Steve discovers the leeches are holding victims in an underwater cave, slowly draining their blood. Steve and his friend Mike, both wartime divers, try to rescue them but are attacked. They kill one leech with spearguns and knives but retreat, finding all victims dead. The creatures are finally destroyed when Steve, Mike, and state troopers dynamite the cave. The dead leeches float to the surface, but one is seen swimming away alive.
The film was one of three Bernard Kowalski made for the Corman brothers. Shooting took eight days, including outdoor scenes at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. During production, Gene Corman caught pneumonia and ended up in the hospital. Actress Yvette Vickers had appeared as a Playboy centerfold in July 1959, months before the film’s release. Producers Roger and Gene Corman asked special effects artist Paul Blaisdell to make the leech costumes, but he said the budget was too small to cover materials. The costumes were designed by actor Ed Nelson and Gene Corman’s wife. Some sources say they were made from stitched black raincoats; others say black plastic garbage bags.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 70% approval rating from 10 reviews, with an average score of 5.06/10. Critic Leonar
- Release date
- October 1, 1959
- Director
- Bernard L. Kowalski
- Producer
- Gene Corman
- Screenwriter
- Leo Gordon
- Genre
- Science fiction-horror
- Runtime
- Not specified in article
- Country
- United States
Quick Facts
- Director
- Bernard L. Kowalski
- Producer
- Gene Corman
- Screenplay
- Leo Gordon
- Starring
- Ken Clark / Yvette Vickers / Jan Shepard / Bruno VeSota
- Music
- Alexander Laszlo
- Cinematography
- John M. Nickolaus Jr.
- Editing
- Carlo Lodato
- Studio
- Balboa Productions
- Distributor
- American International Pictures
- Released
- 1959 · 10 · 01 · U.S.
- Runtime
- 62 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film was one of a trilogy of films Bernard Kowalski made for the Corman brothers. It was shot over eight days, including outdoor sequences at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. During filming, Gene Corman came down with pneumonia and wound up in the hospital. Actress Yvette Vickers had appeared as the Playmate centerfold in the July 1959 issue of Playboy magazine, several months prior to the film's release. Producers Roger and Gene Corman begged special effects artist Paul Blaisdell to create the leech costumes, but Blaisdell said the effects budget was so minute, it would not have even covered the cost of the materials. The costumes were eventually designed by actor Ed Nelson and Gene Corman's wife, each contributing ideas. Some reference sources say the monster suits were constructed from black raincoats that were stitched together, while others say black plastic garbage bags were used.
Reader's Guide
Attack of the Giant Leeches was one of a spate of 'creature features' produced during the 1950s in response to Cold War fears; a character in the film speculates that the leeches have been mutated to giant size by atomic radiation from nearby Cape Canaveral. The film holds a 70% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.06/10. Film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, calling it a 'ludicrous hybrid of white trash and monster genres.' Retrospective reviews either regret the lack of scenes showing the monsters or find them 'ridiculous-looking.' A review in AllMovie described it as 'uneven at best but the swamp locations... are certainly picturesque and the cave sequence... at least somewhat creepy.' Critic Cavett Binion described the film as an 'hysterical drive-in favorite' that pits a community of swamp-dwelling yokels against 'the silliest-looking monsters since the shag-rug aliens of The Creeping Terror.' The film has been featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Cinema Insomnia, and Shilling Shockers. A remake was released on July 7, 2008, and a stage adaptation was performed in Atlanta, Georgia in February 2020.
Did You Know?
- The film was released on a double bill with A Bucket of Blood.
- The leech costumes were reportedly made from black raincoats or black plastic garbage bags.
- Actress Yvette Vickers was a Playboy Playmate in July 1959.
- The film is now in the public domain because its copyright was never renewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Attack of the Giant Leeches?
It's a 1959 black-and-white science fiction-horror film about a group of people threatened by giant mutated leeches. Originally released under the title *The Giant Leeches*, it was produced independently by Gene Corman and distributed by American International Pictures.
Who directed and wrote Attack of the Giant Leeches?
Bernard L. Kowalski helmed the project, with Leo Gordon credited on the screenplay. Gene Corman, a prolific independent producer of low-budget genre pictures, served as the film's producer.
Who stars in Attack of the Giant Leeches?
The main cast features Ken Clark, Yvette Vickers, Bruno VeSota, and Jan Shepard, who play the characters caught in the leeches' path. It's a relatively small ensemble typical of the era's quick-turnaround creature features.
How was Attack of the Giant Leeches released in theaters?
American International Pictures gave it a theatrical run on October 1, 1959, as the second feature on a double bill with *A Bucket of Blood*. In the UK market it appeared under the same *Attack of the Giant Leeches* title, occasionally listed as *The Giant Leeches*.
Why is Attack of the Giant Leeches important to kaiju and monster-film fans?
Because its copyright was never properly renewed, the picture now sits in the public domain and can be freely streamed or shared online. It also stands as a textbook example of the scrappy, low-budget creature features that Gene Corman's operation helped define in the late 1950s.
More in Giant monster films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record